Category: reader

James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ sequels will stick to 48 frames per second

There was talk for a while that James Cameron would shoot the Avatar sequels at a brisk 60 frames per second, which is no mean feat when people aren’t yet sure about 48FPS movies . However, it now looks like the famed director is scaling back those ambitions. He tells Empire that he was considering 60FPS to accommodate home viewers (since it’s better-suited to TVs), but that he’s ultimately sticking with ‘just’ 48FPS; he’s plugging into a “more mature” system where the slower speed makes sense. The sci-fi sagas won’t push the boundaries of moviemaking technology quite as far as you might have expected, then, but the chances are that they’ll still be visual extravaganzas. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Via: Comingsoon.net Source: Empire

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James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ sequels will stick to 48 frames per second

Windows 10 will play your .MKV and .FLAC files all on its own

High-end audio enthusiasts love FLAC since it promises to preserve everything just as it was heard in the studio. Unfortunately, it isn’t the most widely-supported of formats, but it appears as if it’s going to get a warm embrace in Windows 10 . Gabriel Aul of Microsoft’s Windows Insider program tweeted out a screenshot (above) showing FLAC support in Windows Media Player, later adding that the OS is offering platform-level support – so any compatible app will now be able to play the files without a plug-in. Given that Microsoft also recently let slip that it’ll support the .MKV container in its next-gen OS, it’s clear that Redmond is reaching out to the inner AV geek in all of us. Filed under: Desktops , Software , Microsoft Comments Via: The Digital Lifestyle Source: Gabriel Aul (Twitter) , (2)

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Windows 10 will play your .MKV and .FLAC files all on its own

According to The Verge, Microsoft is planning to unveil the consumer preview of Windows 10 at an eve

According to The Verge , Microsoft is planning to unveil the consumer preview of Windows 10 at an event in late January. We’ll apparently see new consumer features, including a touch interface, and get more news on Microsoft’s phone and tablet lines. [ The Verge ] Read more…

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According to The Verge, Microsoft is planning to unveil the consumer preview of Windows 10 at an eve

The first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is coming to iTunes tomorrow

After angering fans earlier this week, Lucasfilm has confirmed the first teaser trailer for the new Star Wars movie will be available online this Friday. The studio previously announced that an 88-second teaser would be shown in just 30 theaters nationwide on November 28th in the lead-up to a general release in December. However, it’s now saying that it will also be available through Apple’s iTunes Trailer site. It’s not clear if the iTunes launch was always intended, or if it’s a reaction to the many fans that were upset they would be unable to catch a timely glimpse of the new movie. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is scheduled for release December 2015. Comments Via: CNET Source: Star Wars (Twitter)

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The first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is coming to iTunes tomorrow

Chart: Which country has the world’s largest army throughout history?

Martin Vargic made a very interesting chart that shows what the world’s largest army was throughout history, from 2500 BC until now. He split up the world into “west” and “east” to show which countries or dynasties or empires were dominating different parts of the world. Read more…

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Chart: Which country has the world’s largest army throughout history?

Consortium Roadmap Shows 100TB Hard Drives Possible By 2025

Lucas123 writes An industry consortium made up by leading hard disk drive manufacturers shows they expect the areal density of platters to reach 10 terabits per square inch by 2025, which is more than 10 times what it is today. At that density, hard disk drives could conceivably hold up to 100TB of data. Key to achieving greater bit density is Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) and Bit Patterned Media Recording (BPMR). While both HAMR and BPMR will increase density, the combination of both technologies in 2021 will drive it to the 10Tbpsi level, according to the Advanced Storage Technology Consortium (ASTC). Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Consortium Roadmap Shows 100TB Hard Drives Possible By 2025

Latest Windows 10 update shows how rapid releases work in practice

Windows 10’s updates and maintenance are following a different, better path to all prior Windows releases: one with more regular updates and quicker access to new features for those who want it, while still offering enterprises a slower pace of delivery. With the first update to the Windows 10 Technical Preview a month ago, Microsoft also enabled a two-speed update track for the million or so members of the Windows Insider program. By default, preview users are put on the slow track. However, about 10 percent of users have put themselves on the fast track. The first ( contentious ) fast track release was made almost two weeks ago, and fast track users have been using it since then. Those fast track users also revealed a variety of problem scenarios. The two big ones were the screen going black (and staying black) every time a PC was unlocked, and a blue screen of death. A pair of patches have been released to fast track users to address these issues, the second coming yesterday, and both of them seem now to be fixed. Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Latest Windows 10 update shows how rapid releases work in practice

Watch two hours of deleted scenes from the original Star Wars Trilogy

If you’re looking for two hours of deleted scenes and alternate footage from the original Star Wars Trilogy and hoping that they’d be masterfully edited together documentary-style, well, here you go. Garrett Gilchrist put together all this Star Wars footage you probably never seen before in Star Wars: Deleted Magic. Read more…

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Watch two hours of deleted scenes from the original Star Wars Trilogy

Bloomberg: Sony Is Making a Watch Entirely Out of E-Paper

Keen not to be outdone by Apple, perhaps, Sony is said to be making a new watch whose surfaces are entirely made from e-paper. It will, according to Bloomberg , “emphasize style, rather than trying to outdo more technological offerings.” Read more…

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Bloomberg: Sony Is Making a Watch Entirely Out of E-Paper

Conglomerate Rock From Mars: (Much) More Precious Than Gold

An anonymous reader writes It’s the oldest rock on Earth–and it’s from Mars. A 4.4-billion-year-old martian meteorite, found in a dozen pieces in the western Sahara, has ignited a frenzy among collectors and scientists; prices have reached $10, 000 a gram, and museums and universities are vying for slivers of it. It is the only known martian meteorite made of sediment, a conglomerate of pebbles and other clumps of minerals from when the planet was warm, wet, and possibly habitable. The story of the discovery of the rock and its significance is fascinating, as well as the details presented about the economics of rare space materials. Apropos, this older story about missing moon rocks. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Conglomerate Rock From Mars: (Much) More Precious Than Gold